Wednesday, November 7, 2012

Online Dating 101 - Love Stories


Hello, friends, and welcome back to class! Today, instead of giving lessons or tips about dating, I have my very good friend, Jennifer, here with me to share the story of how she met her true love via online dating. But first, let's talk about how Jennifer and I met each other. The year was 1997. We were in Grade 9, and we quickly became friends due to several reasons: We both loved sports, we both loved Skittles, and we were nuts about the Spice Girls. Yeah, we totally went to see Spice World when it first released. Multiple times. She's been a wonderful friend and I'm thrilled she's found happiness in her love life! 

Now, without further ado, sit back, relax, and enjoy Jenn's story!

Merry Christmas, Darling....

Most people are shocked when I tell them I met my husband online. Despite the fact that we live in a technology-based society, people are still amazed my husband and I are a success story. How successful? We've been married for 4 years now (coming up on Dec. 6th). It all began around Christmas, 2005. I was travelling back and forth between here and the States for school when I decided to give online dating a try. I had recently broken up with a boyfriend and the bar scene was not exactly what I call dating-friendly. So I created myself a page on LavaLife. 

I recieved lots of 'smiles' and started to get some attention from all different kinds of men. I liked that I could read their interests and it was easy to eliminate the men I had nothing in common with. After a few weeks I started chatting with a guy whom I really enjoyed getting to know. We met at a hockey rink, a public place where I felt comfortable, and hit it off right from the get-go. A few weeks of seeing one another, we began to develop a relationship. Then...here comes the baggage... “I'm sorta...married....” Argh...seriously? Yes, girls, it happens. But the way I see it, you can meet a married man in a bar or at the grocery store as well. 

After about 3 months of meeting 20 different kinds of men (including 2 married! lol), I decided to give it up for a little bit. Then, on Dec. 23rd, 2005, I got a 'smile' from a man. He messaged me saying he liked my photo and interests and asked if it would be okay to chat sometime on MSN (yes, kickin’ it old school with good ol' msn messenger). We chatted and I didn’t expect much out of it. I told him right off the bat that I wasn’t up for hidden agendas, and if he was married then GOODBYE!!! I thought he would vanish but he asked for my phone number. A persistent guy, I must say. So I eventually gave him my phone number over the holidays and that was it. We chatted on the phone for months before meeting which helped us develop a strong foundation for our relationship. I was in the States and that prevented us from meeting up sooner. 

We met the following May and instantly hit it off. In early 2007 he proposed and we got married Christmas of 2008. I guess the important lessons I learned with online dating is the communication part. Because my husband and I chatted for so long (average 4 hours a day x’s 5 months) we had that strong bond and foundation for our relationship. We are each other's best friends. I’m also a believer that your partner needs to “move mountains” for you. Here’s an example. When my husband and I were engaged, I was just finishing up school in the States. We had to do the long distance thing for a little while. He would drive down occasionally and surprise me. Twelve hours of driving just to see the one he loved. In my opinion, that’s moving mountains. As I have previously mentioned, we will be celebrating 4 years of marriage next month and 7 years since we first met. Merry Christmas, Darling. You are everything I could ever want in a life partner. -Jenn

*dreamy sigh* Oh, Jenn. You give me hope. How great was that story? Thank you so much for sharing it with us and giving us all a reason to believe in the possibility of finding love online. Happy Almost-Anniversary!! :x 
:) :( ;) :D :-/ :x :P :-* =(( :-0 X( :7 B-) #:-S :(( :)) =)) :-B :-c :)] ~x( :-h I-) =D7 @-) :-w 7:P 2):) :!! \m/ :-q :-bd ^#(^

6 comments:

  1. Very sweet story from your friend. I particularly appreciate the 'moving mountains' part.

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    1. I loved that part too, Laurie. I need to find me a man who will do that. :)

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  2. Excellent post and I loved the happily ever after story. I canèt believe the nerve of married people on a dating site! I totally don't get what their agenda would be?? That part actually made me mad. I can't imagine investing some time getting to know someone only to find out he was already married. What a tool!

    Glad it all worked out for you and it is great to read the success of the on line dating. Best to you and happy almost anniversary.

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    1. It makes me mad too, Michelle. There are guys on eHarmony who don't have profile pictures and I often think they're trying to hide something, like the fact that they're married. So ridiculous to waste people's time like that.

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  3. A great story! Thanks so much for sharing!

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    1. It WAS great! I love hearing happy stories like this. Stay tuned for next week's Online Love Story! :)

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